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YO Icon
The YO Icon is a city car designed and produced over four generations by the Gasmean automaker YO, originally to replace the Palomino in Europe and later worldwide. The Icon has been the European Car of the Year three times, in 1987, 1993 and 2008. The Icon and derived vehicles are currently sold in all countries except Gasmea, Sasutolia, Thaina, Harukai, South Taeseong and Archana. First generation (1980-1987) The first generation YO Icon was introduced in Europe and Utadaire to replace the ageing Palomino, which as seen as the archetypal Gasmean subcompact car of the 1970s. At the time, city cars were becoming the best selling class of car in much of Europe. Despite its controversial design compared to the more conventional Palomino (Harukai's Jidosha magazine called it "unbelievably ugly" and said it looked like a frog) and lack of power, the Icon was a major success for YO. In 1982, YO added a 1.1 litre diesel I4 to the lineup, which added much needed power and better positioned YO to compete with its rivals in Europe, all of whom except Dalton offered a diesel engine option in their city cars. Safety Compared to the Palomino, which had the petrol tank placed above the rear axle (if the Palomino was rear-ended, the collision could cause the petrol tank to rupture, causing a fire), the Icon had its petrol tank in the engine bay, which was considerably safer. Despite these advancements, the light weight of the Icon increased the risk of serious injury in a crash with a larger vehicle. In 1989, nearly 50,000 1982-1984 Icons equipped with the automatic gearbox were recalled due to a design flaw causing the gearbox to jam itself into reverse, injuring 7 people. All affected models were repaired at no cost by YO. Second generation (1987-1991) To address complaints about the design of the 1980 Icon, YO redesigned it as a smaller city car with more modern styling. Not much changed between the two generations, but the gearbox was upgraded to a modern 5-speed manual. In addition to the sedan, a van variant, which saw some use by business owners in tight cities, was sold with the diesel engine. Around this time, the hatchback body style was becoming more popular in Europe, and since this generation of Icon was never available as a hatchback, sales were never as high as some of the competitors. YO initially planned on releasing a hatchback version of the second generation Icon, but the car was growing less popular with consumers as many still thought it looked uglier than other city cars. Third generation (1991-present) An all-new Icon was released in 1991 to boost YO's sales worldwide. The third generation of the Icon was designed so it could be built efficiently in any YO factory anywhere in the world. Production continued at the Levassons plant, but also picked up in Ranivsita, Fruinia, Toação and Indosia. License-built versions were also produced by Songshu in Meiyang and Celestnik in Utadaire. For the new Icon, success was immediate, becoming the best selling car in many European markets and gaining a foothold in Toação, where cars with an engine displacement below 1 litre were now exempt from road tax. The Icon was so successful that by 1997, over 1 million had been sold, and the facelift that year further boosted sales. Gasmean version Until 1999, YO's home market of Gasmea had never received any variant of the Icon, as YO was concerned that Gasmeans would react negatively to a small city car, even though the Icon had sold in great numbers elsewhere. However, with rising fuel prices (though still very low by European standards) and promising sales of the rest of YO's lineup, YO decided to take the risk and start selling the Icon in Gasmea. Icons destined for Gasmea were built in Lefritio and equipped with the 1.3 liter engine that at the time powered the base model Maui. During the first two years of sales, the Icon sold reasonably well. YO had enlarged the Icon to provide more interior space, but at less than 140 inches long it was still considered a city car. Though sales numbers were lower than YO's larger cars, they were higher than initially expected. However, this success did not last long, due to the Icon's small size and lacking power for the long, wide Gasmean interstates. In addition, the Icon, which sold for $8,990, was competing with larger, low-mileage used cars that in some cases sold for even less and offered much more space. YO made the decision to discontinue the Icon for the 2003 model year. There were plans to bring the Icon back to the Gasmean lineup in 2008, but the recession caused YO to postpone these plans. Ironically, fuel costs rose around this time, which made the Icon, easily capable of over 50 mpg under the right conditions, a popular used car in Gasmea, alongside similar fuel efficient subcompacts. Songshu Icon In 1993, Songshu (Mandarin: 松鼠, Sōngshǔ) of Meiyang acquired the license to build and distribute the Icon in Meiyang. The Songshu Icon was powered by a modified version of the existing 894cc inline 3 used in the European Icon, which proved to be a very reliable engine that was also used in other Songshu vehicles starting in the 1990s. Due to a more basic equipment level compared to the European model, the Songshu was both lighter and a good deal cheaper than the original, though due to an agreement with YO, Songshu could not sell their Icon in any market where the YO Icon was sold unless a redesign and name change were made. Due to these restrictions, Songshu initially sold the Icon exclusively in Asian countries, and in Areguelista, where Songshu was free to sell the Icon due to continued production of the Wasp and Palomino. In Areguelista, the Icon quickly became a top seller due to a price of less than 50,000 pesos in the 1990s. A sedan versions was also produced. In order to expand its global reach, Songshu designed the Icon's facelift specifically not to look like YO's version, which was considered a top priority by Songshu to avoid claims of copying similar to those made against the Radx7 premium SUV, which was accused of being a blatant clone of the Nishioka Paratrooper. The new car, dubbed the Europe, appealed to younger customers due to a redesigned interior and exterior that made the car appear more aggressive and went along with the new paint choices. The Europe became a top seller in much of Asia, Africa and Latin Gasmea, and even saw a moderately successful release in Eastern Europe. In addition to production in Meiyang, the Europe was produced in CKD form in Bao Chàm, Vietanan, Khomui, Suosok and Gamba Town, Yo Gamba. Production of the hatchback and sedan continued, but a coupe version was added to the lineup to further appeal to youth, and the Suosokian factory produced a ute version for the pickup-hungry Southeast Asian market. Even though the Europe was selling in great numbers, Songshu introduced a new Icon-based model called the Joystar, which got a more powerful 993cc engine and race-inspired styling. The Joystar is only produced in hatchback form. Around the same time, Songshu stopped production of the Europe and released the Icon 900 as a new budget model with the same facelifted front end as the Joystar. The Icon 900 has an extremely basic level of equipment and is powered by the older 894cc engine mated to a 4-speed gearbox, which keeps the cost low. Songshu does not currently sell the Icon in North Gasmea and Western Europe, as they do not meet more stringent safety and emissions regulations, though the Joystar includes a catalytic converter, as well as optional dual front airbags and antilock brakes. However, Songshu Icons have been spotted in southeastern Gasmea, as Areguelistan nationals can operate them in Gasmea as long as the cars exit the country after one year. The same has happened with other cars not sold in Gasmea, such as the Miqada Mida. Celestnik 1401 The Celestnik 1401 (Russian: Селестник 1401; Italian: Celestnicci 1401) is derived from the Icon and produced by Celestnik in the Cledonio region of Utadaire as a basic, low-cost economy car. Not much is known about the Celestnik 1401, as sightings are rare in the west. Most Celestniks are sold in dictatorships or developing countries with spotty internet connections. Most information available comes from Chinggis Importers, the authorised dealer of Celestniks in Tarashek, as Celestnik has a very limited online presence. The website does state that the 1401 is powered by a 652cc four-stroke inline 2 producing 20 hp mated to a 4-speed manual. Top speed is estimated at 90-100 km/h by Chinggis Importers and many Tarasheki owners. The price in Utadaire is unknown, but Chinggis Importers lists it as ₮8,000,000. As it is unknown whether this includes import tax, the true cheapest car in the world is unknown at the moment. Fourth generation (2012-present) The all-new Icon was first shown in Katcui in June 2011 as the iBeat, and later as a production vehicle in Amsterdam in January 2012. The Icon started production at the Levassons plant in March as a 2013 model, replacing the aging third generation model that has been in production for 21 years. Production in Cimalaboh is set to commence in January 2013. To suit the modern lifestyle better, all models come standard with a 5.0" touchscreen as the central piece of the infotainment system. Most major phone brands like Apple, Samsung, BlackBerry and Nokia are supported by the Icon's infotainment system. Engine options include a 0.8L or 1.0L petrol I3, as well as a 1.1L diesel engine. Reviewers have been divided on the new Icon's styling, with some publications calling it "a cute bumblebee" and "the perfect car to suit Hello Kitty" while others have said it looks too bubbly and YO should have stuck with the original iBeat design. The rest of the car has been remarkably well recieved. Multiple sightings of the Icon near YO testing facilities in Los Andreas, Gasmea have caused some to speculate that the Icon may be returning to the Gasmean market after nearly 10 years of absence. If these rumours hold true, the Icon will be both the shortest and lightest vehicle on sale in Gasmea.